Recs for induction-compatible cookware and where to buy

last year

Looks like I'm going to have to go pots and pans shopping. Sadly, my beloved old Farberware that I've had since I got married over 30 years ago isn't induction compatible. I don't know where to even start in terms of what brands to look at. I want quality, not interested in bargain-basement jazz you can get at Kohl's or the *-Marts of the world. What recs to do you have for me? And where does one even go nowadays to buy good cookware? I want to be able to see and feel them before I invest.

ETA: Had to create separate posts on different forums because I couldn't link.

Featured Answer

whistle_b

last year

I got my induction cook top in 2009. I got the pieces I needed at TJ Maxx and Home Goods. The only expensive piece is my Le Crueset dutch oven. I don't buy sets. Use a piece of Sil Pat under cast iron. Enjoy your induction!

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Comments (12)

Annie Deighnaugh
last year
When we got our induction cooktop, I went with Emeril and have been very happy. Works well and quietly with the cooktop, love the see-thru lids, love the built in drains for draining off veggies and pasta. I did get a Martha Stewart dutch oven. Cast iron works wonderfully, but I had DH grind the pan bottoms smooth so no scratching on the glass surface. For nonstick, he really wanted these expensive hex clad pans and I am not overly happy with them. But he likes them...or at least won't carp about them. I'd've been happier with a small $15 nonstick from Marshall's...
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked Annie Deighnaugh
Indigo Rose
last year
I started purchasing All Clad stainless steel in the late 90's and for some years into the 2000's long before induction and still love them - only one of my pieces was not induction compatible when I bought my induction unit in 2015 or so. My All Clad still looks like new - I haven't used the skillets in ages, though, as I found I prefer my vintage and newer cast iron. I would never go back to cooking with gas or any another electric.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked Indigo Rose
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Demeyere and Le Creuset for us. We have quite a bit of Le Creuset. My first pieces were from my grandmother's house. They were given to her over 60 years ago by her sea captain brother who brought them back from a voyage to France. I purchased more Le Creuset when I lived in Europe during the 90s. It performs wonderfully and lasts forever with minimal care. We put a 36 inch Thermador induction cooktop in during our remodel and got the free Demeyere cookware (Apollo) that came with it. We love it and will be ordering a couple of more pieces in the near future - a larger stock pot and a stove top smoker for DH. The skillet is large capacity and I love the straighter sides. It gets a real workout at our house. We use the Demeyere and LeCreuset for different things and are very pleased with the performance of both on our induction cooktop. Our very large Le Creuset pot takes a while to heat water to boiling. I'm no electrical engineer but would guess it it due to the energy required to heat the large mass of cast iron. It works fine for soups, etc where I'm not looking to bring a large quantity of liquid to a boil. The Demeyere stock pot brings water to boil in an amazingly short period of time and we expect similar performance from the larger one we'll be getting soon.
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IMO, magnetic pan sides make little if any practical difference one way or the other to having hot pan sides. Consider how rapidly that induction fields diminish above the cooking surface. Put a kitchen towel under the pan. The pan will usually heat with one thickness of towel between it and the burner surface. Fold the kitchen towel over (two thicknesses) and the pan won't register. The field does not reach very high up the sides of a pan. At least, it does not do so with my pans on my induction cooktop. You can find a further discussion of the absence of side heating from induction with pressure cookers in this explanation by Laura Pazzaglia's of the mechanics of using pressure cookers on induction versus gas and radiant electric burners. I'm not entirely sure what you meant in your last question where you asked about "entirely magnetic" pans. Did you mean to ask about pans with magentic metal in their sides (which is to say, disk-base versus clad pans) or were you asking about pans made entirely of magnetic metal (such as carbon steel, cast iron, enameled cast iron and/or cheap thin enameled steel like Graniteware?) If you meant to ask the latter question -- say, whether you might want to go entirely with LeCruset enameled cast iron or Matfer or DeBuyer carbon steel pans --- I'm sure you can get a ton of responses on that point. In the meantime, let me offer this about heating sides of pans on induction. My cookware includes some cast iron pans, some All-Clad (fully clad), some Sitram (disk base with rather thin magnetic sides), and a non-stick set of Circulon Premier Pro (sold relatively inexpensively by Costco, having anodized aluminum bodies with an magnetic slug in the base). What I have found is that the sides of pans in the sets with the highly conductive aluminum up the sides (All Clad and Circulon) heat up a lot more quickly that those with only magnetic metal sides (the cast iron, the PCs, and the Sitram). Here's an example of a test I ran for myself a while ago. Put an inch of water in the cast iron pans or the disk based Stiram. Brought the water to a boil on induction. Used a Thermapen to measure heat levels. When the bases of the cast iron and Sitram pans were 200° F, the side were considerably cooler, around 130° right above the boiling water and less than that the further up the sides that I measured. This was not a precision test, of course, but you get the idea that heat on the sides does not spread rapidly through induction heating of the bases.
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Toronto Veterinarian
last year
I have a combination of different types - including my old cast iron - but I also bought some new pieces that I'm happy with: Zwilling, T-fal, and Cuisinart enamelled cast iron.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked Toronto Veterinarian
JoanM
last year
My existing Dansk Kobenstyle pots worked as well as the Le Crueset. I picked up a set of stainless Demeyere from costco. I did pick up a sample pot and tried it before committing to that set $$. I lucked out with a clearance pot at Sur La Table. I picked up a DeBuyer carbon steel crepe pan and that pan is my favorite for sure. I use the cast iron the least.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked JoanM
salonva
last year
When we got our induction range 4 ish years ago, I figured we'd bite the bullet and just have to get new pots and pans. To my amazement, all worked fine except for one. (Are you sure yours won't work?)
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
last year
"Are you sure yours won't work?"

Nope, they won't -- magnet won't stick to them.
Toronto Veterinarian
last year
" Use a piece of Sil Pat under cast iron. "

You don't have to get that fancy - you can use a piece of paper towel. That's what I use under my pot when making popcorn, so I can slide it easily on the stovetop.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked Toronto Veterinarian
whistle_b
last year
Toronto Veterinarian, I used to do that until one day the paper actually scorched!! Scared the heck out of me!!!!
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked whistle_b
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
last year
Update: I went to Williams-Sonoma this afternoon to see the All-Clad. Holy Moly this stuff is heavy! I could probably deal with that, but I do not like the handles. At all. They are uncomfortable in my hand. There is a Williams-Sonoma brand that is made by Hestan, those were a bit lighter but more importantly the grip was very comfortable.

I see they have a Demeyere set on-line, but none on display at the store. Any comments on Demeyere, particularly the grip?
Lars
last year
last modified: last year
In October 2022, I bought a couple of saucepans for my portable induction burner, which I was using during my kitchen renovation at the Salem address. One is Delarlo and the other is Michelangelo, and I like the Michelangelo better because of the knob handle on the lid, which I find easier to store.

I already had some T-Fal frying pans, and they were not induction compatible, but they came with the house, and I do not know how old they were, but I did like using them with gas.

I bought an All-Clad frying pan (very large) at Sur La Table, and I think their prices are competitive.

I have an old set of Fagor pressure cookers that I love, but I believe that is no longer available. I bought a Zavor pressure cooker for my reno, and I do not like it as much, as it seems to have hot spots when used with my induction burner, but I blame the burner. I would hope that the stovetop induction burners heat more evenly than the portable version.

I have a very old Circulon frying pan that I love, and it is the only very old frying pan that I have that is induction compatible, besides my cast iron pans, which I also enjoy using.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked Lars
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
last year
Update: I went ahead and ordered a Demeyere 10-piece set. Not available in the stores around here, so I had to just take it on faith. I can take it back to Williams-Sonoma if I don't like it. Williams Sonoma had a set on display that might work, it's made by Hestan. It was comfortable in my hand, albeit a bit heavy. But still, if the Demeyere has to be returned, the W.S. might be an option. The All-Clad graphite stuff was lightweight and comfortable, but I can't stomach the price -- the Demeyere is expensive enough...

Recs for induction-compatible cookware and where to buy

whistle_b

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Annie Deighnaugh

Indigo Rose

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Recs for induction-compatible cookware and where to buy

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